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the hungry and the sick and bring justice to Appalachia as a poor region. This is a view that McCauley abhors. She does not see Appalachians as victims. Rather, true Appalachians are seen as representatives of a religious culture that is an integral part of regional life which is different from religious cultures elsewhere in the United States. This Appalachian mountain religious culture, she believes, has as much validity as any other, and is clearly within the traditions of historic Christianity. A particularly useful chapter is McCauley's "Essay on Sources." The 1978 social science-driven compilation of studies edited by John D. Photiadis, Religion in Appalachia: Theological, Social and Psychological Dimensions and Coordinates, depended overmuch, McCauley says, "on the predominant methodological biases" of "structural formalism, statistical studies and a sub-culture ofpoverty model." Yet studies by Melanie Sovine, Loyal Jones, Jeff Titon, Howard Dorgan, and John Wallhausser pulled the study ofAppalachian mountain religion from the grasp of the social scientists who sought to understand what they deemed deviant behavior—snake handling, etc.—and set the study of mountain religion on the road toward the much more satisfactory view of Appalachian mountain religion which this book represents. McCauley has been mightily influenced by Catherine L. Albanese's model of regional differences within American religious life (1981), and her description of the four major characteristics of the "mountain variety "; i.e. the Appalachian mountain religious culture. These are (1) the uneducated preacher, (2) the independent church, (3) the primacy ofthe Bible, and (4) the strong emotionalism ofreligious worship. McCauley's work also stands on the work of her mentor, Robert T. Handy, as well as on that of Loyal Jones, Melanie Sovine, Howard Dorgan, and others. It is a labor well done. And this is a book others must consult carefully if they attempt to write anything on Appalachian mountain religion or on the home mission work of the denominations in Appalachia. —Richard Drake Good History But Too Much Polemic This academically outstanding but methodologically flawed volume is a seminal work in Appalachian religious studies. It began as the author's doctoral dissertation at Columbia University as directed by the wellknown historian, Robert Handy. The author, Deborah Vansau McCauley is, as the book says, "an independent scholar, writer, and editor specializing in American religious history." The book is a multi45 faceted study of mountain religion in the central or southern Appalachian region. Throughout the work, McCauley contrasts mountain religion with the dominant Protestant subculture in America, distinguishing it as a long-caricatured and unique expression of significant faith transactions. The book seems to have several purposes. First, it provides something of the history of Appalachian mountain religion with particular attention to certain Baptist and independent holiness churches and individuals . Second, the author distinguishes those religious traditions from the predominant Protestant (occasionally Catholic) groups and denominations which not only dominated the American religious landscape but also attempted to evangelize the Appalachian people through home mission endeavors in the region. McCauley shows how these efforts often led to condescending or stereotyping attitudes toward the religious mountain folk and their churches. Third, the book provides a variety of intriguing interviews and case studies relative to individual believer-participants in the various expressions of Appalachian mountain religion. These lead McCauley to refer to herself as a "participant-observer" of Appalachian mountain religion and utilize the first person in many ofher references and commentaries. Fourth, throughout the volume but particularly in the final segments, McCauley does not hesitate to offer severe, even vitriolic, criticism of certain contemporary organizations related to religious life in central or southern Appalachia. In the first two elements of her work she excels. The last element, that of critical evaluation , fails miserably as she violates many of the same research methods which she initially used so effectively. As a history of Appalachian mountain religion the book excels. Indeed, McCauley's scholarly work makes a fine contribution to both Appalachian and American religious studies. She traces the history of religion in the region, describing mountain religion as distinct from other forms of Protestantism which came later into the territory. She notes the impact of revivalism, pietism, holiness religion, and personal religious experiences of...
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